Contact freezing apparatus and method



Aug. 23, 1932. c. JONES ET AL 1,873,130

` CONTACT FREEZING APPARATUS AND METHOD I Filed Jan. 2, 1930 w a Z6 INVENTO @Aarle/5* Z.

ATTORNEY Patente-d Aug.. 23, 1932 y UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE Y GEAIRI'ESl L. JONES, OF PELHAM, JOHN D. SMALL, 0F DOUGLASTON', NEW' YORK,

ASSIGNORS TO DRYICE EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, F NEW YORK, N'.

` TION OF DELAWARE Y., A CORPORA- CONTACT FREEZING APPARATUS AND METHOD Application filed January 2, 1930. Serial No. 417,852.

Our present invention relates to methods of and apparatus for contact cooling of freezable products, particularly for freezing or subcooling them far below the freezing point of water and while particularly applicable to fresh meats or to preserved meats such as bacon, ham or the like, the invention and various features thereof may be used in other connections and for other purposes.

An object of our invention is to provide a small, compact cooling device of low cost,

which is well adapted to free-ze and., if desired, over-freeze the product in a remarkably short time.

An important object of the invention is to provide a freezing -apparatus in which the full benefitsl of the low temperature and peculiarities of solid carbon dioxide are taken advantage of and applied in a very economical manner.

A further object is to provide a means by which a frozen product may be given any de- 'sired impression, such as the name or tradethe heat absorption that changes the solid to gas, while nearly as much of the refrigerant value is in the escaping gas. However, most commercial refrigerant operations must be conducted at very .much higher temperatures and it has been customary -to apply all ofthe refrigerant values through the medium .of a gas or air circulation. For our present purposes of quick cooling, subcooling, freezing and superfreezing, particularly products having a freezing point below the freezing point of water,v we have discovered that both the speed and eiiciency of `the heat transfer can be enormously increased by affording a direct conducting path, in the form of a' metal plate or a similar member having the solid carbon dioxide in firm Contact with one surface thereof while the product to be refrigerated is in direct contact with the other surface. This applies the refrigerant value of the heatA absorption that changes the contact of the product with the plate leavek only a small area exposed to the gas and from l the fact that heat transferfrom gas to solid is always slow as compared with Contact transfer between contacting solid or liquids.

The above and other features of our invention will be more evident from the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which we have shown diagrammatically, some simple forms of our invention as applied to freezing a slab of bacon or the like, but we do not wish to be limited to any particular product to be frozen, or to a particular form or construction of apparatus for freezing the same. In this drawing:

'Fig 1 is a vertical lsectional view of one form of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a modification thereof, the same being placed' within an outer insulated container;

Figs. 3 and 4 are further modifications, Fig. 3 being a partial plan view of Fig. 4;

Fig. 5 is another slight modification;

Fig. 6 is a modification of the, lower plate of the apparatus; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of Fig. 6.

In Fig. 1 the freezing apparatus is shown as. comprising supports 1 for a holder 2 which comprises 'a plate 4 on which the freezable product rests. The supports 1 may be the walls of a frame or of a box adapted to retain the gas from the solid carbon dioxide.

The plate 4 is of a good heat conductlng material, preferably a metal such as aluminum, or the like ,and the walls 3 may be of insulating material. Below the plate 4 is the refrigerant 5 supported .by the foloo dent from the fact that great area of surface short time.

lower member 6 which is pressed upwards by anyv suitable means, such as the springs 7, to keep the refrigerant 5 in intimate contact With the plate 4, although it continuous1 ly becomes thinner by evaporation.

The freezable product 8 contacts on its upper side with the refrigerant holder 9 comprised of the sides 10 and lower surface 11. The latter surface may be patterned as indicated by projections 17. Except for the necessary changes in structural detail, the upper refrigerant container 9 should be substantially the same as the lower refrigerant container 2. Placed within the container 9 is the refrigerant 12. y

The yoke 18 raises or lowers the container 9 through the weight 14 swinging from the arm 15 which is attached to the extension 16 of one of the supporting elements 1. Any means whatever may be used in place of the last mentioned elements to raise or lower the container 9, the same having been shown here diagrammatically merely for the purposes of illustration.

In operation the apparatus is quite simple. The upper section 9 may be raised sufficiently high so that the-product to be frozen can be placed in the holder 2, the section 9 then being lowered so that the surface 11 will be in` contact with the freezable product. The lower plate 4 will be refrigerated by means of the refrigerant 5 being forced to contact therewith'through pressure being applied to the element 6 by the spring 7.4 When solid carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant with its extremely low temperature of approximately 110 F. below zero, it can readily be seen that with good heat conducting material for the elements affording the surfaces 4 and 11, the product can be frozen in a very When a contact surface is embossed as at 17, Fig. 1, the letters, numerals or other patterns are impressed or embossed on the unfrozen product by the initial pressure,- and the elevations and depressions thus formed will be frozen in the surface of the product, but when it again becomes pliable, the impression will tend to disappear. This makes' possible the very novel and valuable innovation in merchandising methods, in that thus frozen meat or fish or other food ymay be distinctively marked during shipment, display and sale, yet will appear free of any such marking when served to the consumer. We have shown this means of marking only on one plate in Fig. l, but it is quite evident that it may be on both the upper and lower plates and may be utilized in any or all of the various modifications.

Most arrangements or apparatuses heretofore used for freezing meatsl and the like have necessarily been quite large due to the fact that the freezing was a very slow processand in order to make the operation a comteramo! mercial success, it has been necessary to freeze a large volume at one freezing. What are known in the art` as sharp freezers generally require over twenty-four hours to complete the freezing, depending on the thickness and initial temperature of the product, while the so-called quick freezing processes require up to twelve hours for freezing. Then it is understood that in none of these processes is the temperature of the refrigerating medium rarely if' ever lower than 50o F. below zero, it will be quite apparent wherein our invention is such an improvement over present methods.

ln our invention the solid carbon dioxide rests directly against the refrigerating surfaces, which surfaces are in immediate contact with the sides of the freezable product,

the blanket of carbon dioxide gas which would normally surround the solid carbon dioxide being expelled from the sides in contact with the refrigerating surface but substantially enveloping the rest of the solid, thereby tending to preserve the same. This allows the solid carbon dioxide with its extremely low temperature of approximately 110 F. below zero, to contact with one surface of a very good heat conducting material, the other su'rface being in contact' with the product to be frozen.

ln- F-ig. 2, we have showna modification, the apparatus being in an outer insulating container 1a and comprising a lower plate 2a, an upper section 3a, preferably cellular, which consists of an insulating portion '4a and lower plate 5a. The upper section 3a is .arranged to hold a refrigerant 6a in contact with the element 5a. This upper section may be also hinged at the center point 7a. This allows for the opening of a part only, of the apparatus, thereby permitting inserting therein or removing therefrom a portion of a charge of refrigerant or product to be frozen without disturbing the other portion. This form, of course, need not necessarily be hinged to two sections only.l Solid carbon dioxide 8a is also placed on the bottom of the container 1a and the upper plate 2a rests directly thereon. As the solid carbon dioxide 8a sublimes, the Whole apparat-us descends by its' own weight and plate 2a main-y tains constant contact with the solid carbon dioxide.

In Fig. 4 is shown a further modification comprising the outer container l?) and the lower plate 2b rigidly attached to the handle 3b and arranged to be revolved by means of the handle 3.7). The upper plate 4b is also of cellular construction being arranged to contain the refrigerant within the cells and having on its other side .the opening 5b. e

where the roduct to be frozen is com aratively sma such as chops, one chop ing removed through the opening b and another being inserted before the section 4b is re- 5 volved so that theopening 5b is above the next chop tc be removed. In this way only a very small portion of the freezing apparatus is exposed to the atmosphere. 1 Fig. 5 is quite similar to the form shown tainer 1c, lower plate 20 and upper section 3c, both the lowerplate and upper section being arranged to revolve and the u per section being also vertically movab e. This form is particularly adaptable where it is desired to freeze only one'side of the product or one side at a time. The section 3e is held in resting position by the stop 4c being turned under the flange 50. A

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a di'erent form of bottom plate. This form is .also cellular, the refrigerant being contained therein and not having any means to force itagainst the upper refrigerating surface'and to overcome the diiiiculty caused by the refrigerant in contacting with the upper refrigeratin surface 1d, we'` construct the vertlcal wa 1s 2d. sufficiently thick to conduct the low temper.

ature (from the refrigerant resting on vfthe 80 'lower surface 3d to the upper surface 1d.

As before stated, ourinvention is artic ularly applicable to establishments w erein it is desired to freeze a small quantit of a product at a vtime and also partie arl adaptable to utilize the full benefits of soli carbon dioxide as a refrigerant while at the same time it does not have the drawback of bringing an objectionable substance such as brineA in contact with the product to 'be frozen. 4 f WeAclaim: 1. freez' in a aratuscomrisin u lr and lower frozgenlshrfaces contiictinggwiihea refrigerant and product to be frozen, said upper surface bem vertically movable and in Fig. 4, it being comprised of the outer conthe freezing cint of said products b pressing solid car on dioxide in intimate eat exchange relation with other surfaces of each of said plate elements; and, throughout the freezing operation, maintaming an atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas sublimated from said solid, in submenging relation to said plate elements and the products compressed thereby.

5. A quick freezer for resilient products, includin metallic plate elements and means for resi lently compressing relatively thin layers of said roducts between them, maintalning said p ate elements at tem ratures far below the freezing point `of sai product by pressing solid carbon dioxide in intimatel heat exchange relation with other surfaces of eachof sald plate elements, and means for maintaining an atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas sublimated fromy said solid, in submer g relation to said plate elements, said proildts and said solid.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and state of New York, this 31st day of December, A. D.V 1929.

CHARLES L. JONES. JOHN D. SMALL. v

l revolvable and sai lower surface being re` volvable. v 4

2. A freezing apparatus comprising an outer container, a re 'ger-ating surface one side .50 of which is in contact with a refrigerant and the other side being in contact with a roduct i to be frozen and an .upper vertica y movable closure section.

3. A freezing apparatus comprising an uplper andl lower refrigerating surface, said ower surface bein revolvable and said up r surface being vertically movable and revo v able' and having therethrough an opening to permit of access to the 'space'between the upper and lower surfaces;

v4. A method of quick' freezing resilient freezable products, which includes compress- 'y ing relatively thin layers thereof between me: y'tallic plate elements, and maintaining their 5.5 contact surfaces at temperatures far below neA 

